Saturday At 7 p.m. @SunDevilHoops Hosts Colgate
The Sun Devils (3-2) meet the Colgate Raiders Saturday at 7 p.m. on Pac-12 Network (Arizona).
ASU is 3-2 after it lost two close ones in Kansas City, 78-73 to Maryland and 76-71 to Alabama. ASU led for 24:45 of the Maryland game and for 22:22 of the Alabama game but could not close down the stretch.
REMEMBER THIS: ASU has won 11 straight at home going back to last season and will try and win a dozen straight at home for the first time since it won 13 straight with victories in the final seven home games of 1979-80 and then first six of 1980-81. ASU has gone 37-5 in its past 42 home games and has won 19 of its past 20. The current streak started on Jan. 5 last year, when ASU topped Washington State 66-47 after losing its Pac-12 home opener to Washington. ASU in that time beat Utah (NIT), Colorado (NCAA), Oregon State, Oregon (NCAA), second-ranked Arizona (NCAA Elite Eight), Stanford (NCAA Sweet 16) and future Hall of Fame Coach Mike Montgomery of California (NIT) in what turned out to be his final Pac-12 regular season game. ASU is holding opponents to 233-of-620 (.376) from the field and 59 points per game.
16-1: Here is list of teams that had 16 home wins and zero or one loss last year: SMU (18-0), Wichita State (17-0), Florida (17-0), Duke (17-0), Mercer (17-1), Murray State (17-1), Creighton (16-0) and ASU (16-1).
SOME DUDES LISTED HERE: Here is a list of NBA first-round picks ASU defeated in the past three-plus seasons as it is 37-5 at home since the end of the 2011-12 season: Shabazz Muhammad, Solomon Hill, Andre Roberson, Aaron Gordon, Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson, Josh Huestis and Kyle Anderson. Want some second round picks? Allen Crabbe, Spencer Dinwiddie, Nick Johnson (twice) and Dwight Powell.
ERIC IMPROVEMENTS: Junior Eric Jacobsen had another big night vs. Alabama Tuesday, posting 13 points (11 in the second half) and six boards. Entering this year, Eric had played in 64 games and averaged 8.8 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds. He is averaging 11.0 points, 8.0 boards and is 18-of-23 (.783) from the field. After posting 16 blocks in his first two seasons, Eric has 10 blocks in five games this year.
VS. COLGATE: ASU is 2-0 against Colgate, beating it 64-50 on Nov. 21, 2000, and then again on 52-36 on Dec. 19, 2006.
BALANCED SCORING: ASU has now had five players lead it in scoring in its first five games: Shaq McKissic (20 vs. Chicago State), Eric Jacobsen (13 vs. Bethune Cookman), Chance Murray (12 vs. LMU) and Jon Gilling (21 vs. Maryland) all did it prior.
NEED TO GET THIS MOJO BACK: ASU had won 38 of previous 43 games when leading at the half before this week, but lost both games in Kansas City after leading at the half.
OFF THE BENCH: Last year after 71 consecutive Jon Gilling starts Coach Sendek made a move to shake up the lineup and had him come off the bench against Utah. ASU won eight of next 11, and Jon hasn’t looked back since. In the 71 consecutive starts Jon was 162-of-414 (.391) from the three-point stripe. In the past 189 games off the bench, he is 49-of-99 (.495) from the three-point stripe.
THREE STAT: ASU has made a three-pointer in 422 straight games. The last time ASU did not make a three-pointer was Feb. 15, 2001, and as strange as it was it was an 89-57 win over Washington.